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'Boobies Rock' Charity Scammer Must Pay Over $5M: Court

By Casey C. Sullivan, Esq. on March 20, 2015 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

A Colorado court has ordered cancer-charity scammer Adam Shryock to repay $1.89 million in ill-gotten income and an additional $4 million in civil penalties for running a fake fundraiser called "Boobies Rock!" According to the state's Attorney General, Shryock regularly sent promotional models into bars to sell "Boobies Rock!"-branded merchandise while leading patrons to believe that they were donating to a breast cancer charity.

"Boobies Rock!," it turns out, was no charity fundraiser, and the money it took never went to breast cancer groups. Instead, Shyrock used the funds on himself, for online dating sites, personal maids, and a BMW, according to the Attorney General's complaint.

Since this wasn't Shryock's first charity scam, the judge also ordered that he never work on or near charitable solicitations again.

Those Koozies Weren't Curing Cancer After All

At the heart of Shyrock's scam was the sale of cheap "Boobies Rock!"-branded merchandise, such as koozies, T-shirts, and wrist bands, in bars. Promotional models were instructed to tell potential customers that up to 90 percent of the money they spent would go to support legitimate breast cancer charities. The pitch was so convincing that many people simply handed over cash donations, forgoing the merchandise.

Shyrock would regularly use the name of legitimate breast cancer charities in his appeals. The models, who were unaware of the fraud, told bar patrons that the proceeds would go to groups such as Cancer Care or Stupid Cancer, when in fact those charities had taken out a restraining order against Shryock. BR's Twitter feed touted a large donation to the Young Survival Coalition -- but the "donation" was in fact a settlement, after the Coalition sued over BR's illegal use of its name in promotional materials.

Not Shyrock's Only Charity Scam

According to the Colorado General Attorney, "Boobies Rock!" wasn't the only scam Shyrock was running. Shyrock attempted a similar rip-off with "Say No 2 Cancer," or SN2C, recruiting promotional models for scam sales in five states.

When the state imposed a restraining order on Shyrock over his breast cancer fundraising scam, he began a new bogus charity scheme, called "I Heart This Bar," selling merchandise at college football tailgates that were said to support sham scholarship funds.

Potential donors are reminded to research charities before giving. A simple Google search could have clued donors in to Shyrock's scam, which had been documented in the local press.

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